


Flights of Fancy and Other Crazy Things

by georgiamagnolia



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Odd Dreams, under the influence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29401023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiamagnolia/pseuds/georgiamagnolia
Summary: Olivia needs a ride home after minor surgery and ends up dreaming some very odd things that end up staying in her head for way too long, and making her wonder about her co-worker Rafael.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40
Collections: Barson Valentine's Day Collection 2021





	Flights of Fancy and Other Crazy Things

**Author's Note:**

> My anonymous prompt was for fluff, romance, and cuddling so I hope this fits the bill.
> 
> Thanks for creating a fun exchange and letting me play in the Barson Sandbox again.

It was Friday afternoon and Rafael Barba had nothing more exciting planned for his evening than take out and whatever might be on the late late movie, or Netflix if he felt really ambitious and stayed awake that long. It had been a difficult week and he was looking forward to relaxing. His phone rang and he suppressed a groan when he saw the caller ID was Fin Tutuola, a late breaking case was not on his menu today. Then again, nothing much was so he answered the phone and hoped for the best.

“Barba,” he nearly didn’t bark into the phone.

“Rafael, I need you to do me a solid.”

“Ah, ok?” Fin rarely called him by his first name, usually calling him Barba or Counsellor like it was a curse and not a title.

“Liv’s just outta surgery and I’m supposed to pick her up in an hour and we caught two cases, I can’t skip out since I’m in charge for the moment.”

“Surgery?” Rafael hoped his voice wasn’t as full of alarm as he felt.

“She had her wisdom teeth pulled today, they put her out so she can’t be drivin’. I dropped her off but then when I got back to the squad we had all hell breakin’ loose. I just need ya to Uber over to her doc’s office, Uber her home and then she should be fine in a couple hours.”

“No problem. Text me the address of her dentist and I’ll get there.”

When Rafael got to the dentist’s he found that Olivia had yet to wake from the anesthesia and the nurse that showed him to the recovery room told him to wait while she got the doctor. Olivia looked peaceful, her forehead clear of worry and her cheeks full and round from the swelling. She looked incredibly young like that. Rafael wondered if this was what it was like to look back in time and then rolled his eyes at himself for that flight of fancy. If she were awake, he was sure that Olivia would have a properly cutting and witty remark for him. He smiled at that thought. The doctor walked in already talking, instructing his nurse on something.

“Mr. Barba, I’m Dr. Restameir and I’m told you are here to make sure Ms. Benson gets home safe?”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

The doctor proceeded to give Rafael instructions and warnings and the nurse returned with a Ziplock containing an unopened package of long sterile cotton so Olivia could replace the packing on her gums as well as some pain medication and a copy of the written instructions for her aftercare. He slid it into his briefcase and listened carefully to the directions.

“Do you have any questions?” When Rafael shook his head the doctor continued, “She’ll be groggy and disoriented and likely hungry but be sure she doesn’t have anything more than clear broth or juice and don’t let her use a straw, you might need to help her with the glass at first if she’s still sleepy. Try to avoid very hot or very cold liquids to begin with and she can have pain medication every four hours starting at nine this evening. There are enough in the bag to last through the weekend and she can switch to over-the-counter meds on Monday or sooner if she is feeling better. She should be awake in another ten minutes or so, ok?”

“Sure, sounds good.”

The doctor left and Rafael sat in the visitor chair next to what was essentially a very fancy recliner where Olivia was laying with a blanket over her, pulled up to her chin. The nurse came in and handed him Olivia’s handbag, checked on her and then left again. Ten minutes passed and Olivia was still sleeping the peaceful sleep of the drugged. The nurse returned. She checked Olivia and left. Ten more minutes passed, and the nurse returned with the doctor.

“It is odd that she hasn’t come awake on her own, but it happens sometimes, nothing to worry about,” the doctor told Rafael while the nurse was talking softly to Olivia and rolling back the blanket and sitting the chair upright, trying to encourage Olivia to wake.

Rafael was surprised to see Olivia wearing NYPD sweatpants and a tee-shirt with a red hoodie over it. He supposed if he were being put under drugs and having teeth yanked from his head he’d want to be comfortable for the process, too.

Olivia finally opened her eyes and looked owlishly around the room, spotting Rafael and attempting a smile. The nurse instructed her not to try talking yet as she was still numb and it would be frustrating and difficult, Olivia just nodded at her distractedly and tried to stand, it took her a few tries. Another nurse came in with a wheelchair and they got her in it and took her out to the car that was already waiting.

In the car Olivia leaned against Rafael and let her eyes close. He was making calls and giving the driver instructions and she was foggy and not listening to the words he was saying, just to the music of his voice she could feel vibrating under her palm that she’d laid on his chest next to her head that she couldn’t feel yet.

Rafael called ahead to his apartment building and spoke with the security on duty, explaining that he needed to pick up things from his apartment but was escorting a friend home who’d just had surgery. The young man on duty was happy to agree to meet him on the sidewalk and watch over Olivia while Rafael ran his errands in his apartment. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Uber driver, but he didn’t trust the Uber driver. Theo was on the sidewalk when the car pulled up, Rafael extricated himself from his co-worker and reassured her that he would be right back when she tried to protest.

“Thanks, Theo, I will be as quick as I can.”

“No worries, Mr. B. We’ve got plenty of folks to go around, Eric is on the desk so take your time.”

Rafael returned, dressed now much as Olivia was, having exchanged his work suit for jeans and a hoodie. He carried a gym bag and put it on the floor with his briefcase and Olivia’s handbag and climbed back into the car. Theo shut the door and waved them off with a smile.

At Olivia’s apartment Rafael managed all the things and Olivia, much to his surprise. He got them into the elevator and back out again and then into her apartment and locked safely inside. She immediately curled up on the couch and closed her eyes.

“Would you rather go lay down on your bed? It would be a lot more comfortable? I promise to be a gentleman and not look at any laundry you have on the floor.”

Olivia gave him a weak backhand on the arm and pointed at the television. He picked up the remote and handed it to her, then took the blanket off the back of her couch and held it up, she nodded and he laid it over her. She turned on the television set and started clicking through the channels. She landed on something that looked science fiction and promptly closed her eyes again.

Rafael retrieved the doctor’s instructions from his briefcase and read through them. Sleeping was probably best so he let her stay curled on the couch. She was completely undisturbed when the groceries he’d ordered arrived and while he made soup in her kitchen. He snooped through all her cupboards and kitchen drawers to find what he needed and wasn’t very surprised that her kitchen was laid out logically and he easily found all the tools he needed to construct chicken soup from the delivered food.

*** *** *** ***

“He’s too… He’s not Jareth. He’s not tall enough and he’s, so, well,” she paused but couldn’t think of a way to finish that sentence.

“Nope. He’s not. As if anyone could replace our liege.” The girl with the short blonde hair took a sip of her drink. “He’s new. Not a replacement while Jareth is on walkabout, but just new.” She smiled slyly watching her friend watching the new guy. 

“He’s got nice features, ears are a little pointed but not enough for fae or gob, and those canines, hey yeah, but we don’t have weres, do we? I mean Romulus and Remus never wolfed out, did they?”

“I dunno, before my time, but I don’t think so.” Dee sipped again and kept watching Vea evaluate the new addition. 

“Hair’s a little shaggy around the ears though, he’s not one of those cup guys?”

“Nah, they’re still stuck on their little island. Well, several little islands now. If they don’t stop splintering off into smaller and smaller factions, they’re all gonna end up floating alone in the sea. I like the hair though, it has a little curl, a little bounce. Something unexpected.”

Vea ignored her friend’s observation on the newcomer’s hair. “Yeah, the cup folk should be more like us, every time we have a family feud, we just get bigger and add some branches to the tree.” She sipped her own drink. “So, what’s his story?”

“Some kind of party thing. Song and dance or music or muses or I dunno,” Dee shrugged.

“Brave man, partying with muses can get ya dead. Or is that fates? Or those others, Maenads?” Vea finally stopped watching the new guy and almost caught Dee smirking at her. She pushed her long dark hair back and tried not to watch the new guy but couldn’t help it, he was lovely to watch.

“Some sisters I bet, yeah, trouble.”

“Well, there’s always resurrection.”

“Coming back from dead is no picnic, ask Ro.”

“Does it count as resurrection if he’s never really dead? He never actually dies, just has a new liver every day.”

“That’s a good deal if you party all night,” Dee looked like she was seriously contemplating how she could piss off the right god to get a new liver daily.

“I don’t think drinking yourself into a stupor is the same as having ravens eat your liver all day, Dee,” Vea warned her.

“I thought it was an eagle?”

“Birds. Could be worse, could be Harpies. They are terrible conversationalists; they’d bitch the whole time that his liver wasn’t spicy enough.”

“They oughta let him have some wine first then, huh? And should you be bad-mouthing birds, Vea? I thought you had a bird tail.”

“Not for a long time now, they gave me a fish tail a few centuries back and took away my powers of prophesy. I blame Cassandra.”

Dee laughed. “Stories change but we remain vicious.”

Vea crossed her shapely and quite normal legs and toasted her friend, “May they never discover that we’ve haven’t actually lured anyone to their deaths.”  
  


Dee touched the rim of her glass to Vea’s and said, “Speak for yourself, siren. My sister nymph did it once.”

*** *** *** ***

The television played on quietly in the background, rolling through Clash of the Titans and then Labyrinth, finally old episodes of Quantum Leap were showing when Olivia woke late that night.

“Ha oo een eer ah ight?”

Rafael laughed and tried not to, but failed, putting aside the book he’d been reading. “I’m not sure what you just said.”

Olivia reached up and felt her face, remembered the cotton stuffed in her mouth and gave a shrug.

“I put your replacement cotton on the bathroom sink and I have chicken broth and some juice if you are hungry and want to try to drink some before repacking like a chipmunk.”

“An oo.”

“You’re welcome?”

Olivia gave a thumbs up and got to her feet, somewhat more steadily than earlier. She disappeared into the bath for several minutes. When she emerged, there was a mug of warm chicken soup with all the solid bits filtered out and a glass of apple juice on the table. The blanket had been returned to the back of the couch and a smiling Rafael was sitting at the table. She joined him.

“Have you been here all night? What time is it anyway, and why are you here? Fin was supposed to just bring me home, is everything ok at work?” Olivia rubbed the hinges of her jaw which felt cramped and tight, likely from the dental work earlier.

“Everything’s fine. The squad caught a couple cases and Fin asked if I could deliver you home. You had trouble coming out of the anesthesia and I didn’t think you’d mind if I stayed to make sure you got fed and woke up ok. The doctor said you should stick to clear fluids and nothing too hot or cold, by the way.” Rafael watched as she tentatively tried the mug of broth. “You have pain meds, too, you missed your first dose of them three hours ago. How’s the pain level?”

Olivia sat the mug back down. “Maybe that was what finally woke me up, my mouth feels like it got run over by a truck. It’s making my head pound too, and I had weird dreams. Amanda and I had new names and she had a pixie haircut.” Olivia clamped her mouth shut before she said more. She didn’t want to hear what Rafael would say if she told him he was starring as possibly Bacchus or a maybe a werewolf in her subconscious. What on Earth was in that shot they gave her, it was strange and she was sure she didn’t want any more of it.

Rafael got up and went to the sink, bringing back a glass of water and the packet of pills that the doctor had sent home. “They said you could have one of these every four hours and switch to something over the counter on Monday, earlier if you feel better.” He handed her the packet and the glass. She shook out a pill and gingerly swallowed it, draining the glass of cool water as she did.

“Thank you. And thank you for staying so late. I’m sorry if I ruined some plans you had.”

“No plans, nothing ruined. I’m glad I could help.”

Olivia yawned, her jaw cracking loud enough for them both to hear it and she resumed rubbing her jaw, alternating sips of broth with sips of juice, all the while trying to rub away the ache in her head.

Rafael watched as Olivia struggled through her meagre dinner, trying to stay awake. Her command of language deteriorated and her eyes were barely open. He wondered if she was allergic to pain medication or just had no tolerance for it, it seemed to hit her hard. When she was done, he helped her place cotton in her mouth and then into her bedroom and left her sitting on the edge of the bed.

“There’s room for you to stay,” Olivia said as he got to the door of her room. Rafael looked over his shoulder at her, she had a befuddled look as if she was trying to figure out what was wrong with that sentence. “I mean,” she continued, “guest room. There’s a guest room. So you don’t have to go out at midnight-thirty.”

Rafael chuckled. “Ok, Liv. Thanks.”

“De nada,” she pulled the edge of the comforter up and rolled onto her bed, pulling the blanket around her as she did, “sabroso…” the rest of what she said was lost as she bundled herself in the bedclothes.

Rafael wondered if he should help her into the bed or leave her wrapped in the covers like that. And did she just call him tasty or was she talking about the poor excuse for a dinner that her surgery allowed her? He decided it would be better to leave her, not sure how she’d react to finding herself mysteriously under the covers later when she woke again. He cleaned up the kitchen and then retired to the other bedroom where he’d stashed his briefcase and overnight bag, having already made himself at home, but pleased that she had extended the invitation. If her actual invitation sounded like more, well, hopefully she would have forgotten by morning, the fog of painkillers a handy excuse. Rafael refused to examine the rush of electricity that accompanied that invitation knowing she hadn’t meant it the way it sounded.

*** *** *** ***

Olivia woke with a lingering dull ache in her jaw and gums but without the pounding in her forehead that the previous night felt like her frontal lobe trying to escape her skull. She tried to fling the covers back but found she was wrapped like a burrito in her duvet. She finally struggled from the covers and got herself to the bathroom where she took care of her morning routine, noticing the tube of toothpaste and toothbrush in a travel cover that sat on the sink. She was slightly relieved that she hadn’t imagined sitting at her table with Rafael at midnight drinking juice. At least she hoped that was Rafael’s toothbrush, otherwise her dreams from the day before had been even weirder than she thought, going so far as to manifest objects on her countertop. She finished washing up and pulled the cotton from her mouth, then rinsed carefully in order to not disturb the healing in her gums. She left the bath quietly in case her accidental houseguest was sleeping.

Rafael had left the door to the guest room ajar and Olivia could see he was asleep, his back to the door and only the top of his head showing above the covers. The steady rise and fall of his breathing was all that disturbed the bedding. Olivia backed away and returned to the bath, softly shut the door and started the shower. Under the hot spray she could feel her muscles relax, the pain of the night before melting away somewhat.

As the steam rose around her images from her dreams returned to Olivia, Amanda with her hair short, turning her features gamine and younger than her years but her eyes remained ageless with experience and her smile full of wicked good humour. As she washed her shoulder length hair Olivia remembered that in her dream she had long hair flowing down past her waist, much longer than she’d ever worn it in her waking life. And Rafael, those images taunted her. He had been relaxed and laughing, head thrown back and exuberant in a way she had never seen him, ever. She tried to ignore those moments of Rafael with hair that curled over his forehead and how his eyes twinkled as he grinned wide. She had no idea where her imagination or subconscious or whatever it was conjured all that from, but it was very distracting.

When she was done with her shower and had traded the damp towels for her bathrobe from the back of the bathroom door, she sat out a couple clean towels and a washcloth on the sink, then put Rafael’s toothbrush and toothpaste on top so her overnight guest would know they were for his use if he wanted. She slipped out of the bath and into her room quietly, hoping she hadn’t woken said guest.

Rafael woke slowly, rolling onto his back and stretching, enjoying the feeling of a good night’s sleep. Waking refreshed wasn’t his normal default, usually he woke as tired as he’d been the night before. He stayed still, listening for movement or signs his hostess was up and about. It was quiet in the apartment beyond the door he’d left slightly open in case Olivia had woken needing anything in the night. He pulled back the covers and picked up his overnight bag to head for the bathroom where he found towels set out. He smiled at Olivia’s thoughtfulness, realizing she had been awake but had let him sleep. He took a quick shower and dressed in his jeans and a clean tee-shirt, walking barefoot to the kitchen where he found Olivia sitting at the kitchen island scrolling her emails on her phone. The coffee pot gurgled its way through its cycle, nearly done making the elixir of life.

“Good morning?” He made it a question in light of yesterday’s surgery.

“Good morning, yourself. Thanks for staying last night, I don’t remember much but I know you got me home safe and I appreciate that.” Olivia sat her phone down and slid it to the side, focusing all her attention on Rafael. She realized immediately it was a mistake. His short hair was still damp and combed into place unlike the curls in her dream but it appeared thick and dark and she wanted to reach out and disturb that perfection. Rafael’s ears were narrow and not actually pointed but could give that illusion at a certain angle reminding her of his unbridled laughter in her dream when she wondered if he was a werewolf or a god of some kind. She wondered briefly if the sedation and painkillers from the day before were still clouding her thinking, letting her remember that dream so vividly and keeping it distracting her. She promised herself that no matter what kind of pain her lost wisdom teeth caused her this weekend she was not taking another prescription strength painkiller.

“How’s the pain today?”

“Much better, and no more bleeding so that’s a relief,” Olivia smiled, her cheeks still rounded with the swelling, though less than it had been. Rafael was again struck with the idea that he was seeing into Olivia’s past and turned toward the coffee maker to distract himself.

“Do you think you still need to avoid too hot or too cold, I could make you an iced coffee if you like, somewhere in between hot and cold that way.”

“Sure, that sounds good.” Olivia watched Rafael putter in her kitchen like he knew what he was doing and it made her smile. He got half and half out of her fridge and ice from the freezer and assembled a tall iced coffee for her, presenting it to her with a smile. She sipped. “It’s perfect, thank you.”

“You are very welcome.” Rafael cleared up the coffee makings and held the door of the fridge open, standing back and showing Olivia as he talked, “You have almost as many take out containers as I do washed in your cupboard so I packaged up the chicken soup for you in nukable servings.” On the shelves of her refrigerator Olivia could see half a dozen bowls stacked and ready. “This way if you aren’t feeling up to cooking over the weekend you won’t starve.”

“Thank you, but don’t you want to take some home with you?”

“Nope. It’s all for you.”

“Then let me at least make breakfast, unless you have somewhere you need to be?”

“How about I make breakfast. You’re still, as my abuelita would say, sick and weak and feeling puny.”

Olivia laughed, “I’m not, but I will compromise and let you help, how’s that?”

“Fair enough.” Rafael opened the door of the refrigerator again, “What are you hungry for, I see eggs for an omelet or I could make pancakes?”

“Eggs and bacon and toast.”

They worked together chopping bell peppers and onions and mushrooms for the omelet while the bacon cooked, adding cheese and fresh tomato at the last moment into the eggs. Olivia made a pile of toast and Rafael cut the gigantic omelet in half and put it on plates, dividing the bacon between them. Olivia poured herself a mug of milk and Rafael watched as she dipped her toast in it and ate the dripping toast quickly.

“What in the world are you doing?”

“When I was sick as a kid my mom would make me toast and I’d dip it in milk, it’s comfort food when I feel bad.”

“I’m sorry you’re feeling bad.”

Olivia looked at Rafael with her head tilted to one side, smiling a little, “I don’t feel bad, it’s just a good memory. I have few enough of them I guess.” Rafael nodded, understanding.

They compared stories from their childhoods over breakfast, skimming over the bad and laughing at the good. They cleaned up after and when they were done they shared another coffee on the couch in the living room.

“Thank you for the soup and breakfast and the company, Rafael, though I think making you do most of the work makes me a terrible hostess.”

“You didn’t have much choice so I can’t hold it against you. I invited myself over, so I am an equally terrible guest.” His half smile was almost a smirk which made Olivia smile at him.

“Maybe next time will be better then.”

Rafael felt that jolt of electricity again and suppressed the thrill of it knowing Olivia didn’t mean it the way it sounded, as an invitation to spend a different kind of night at her place one day.

“I mean, we should do this again when it doesn’t involve unconsciousness and painkillers.”

Rafael quirked a brow at her and nodded.

Olivia realized that she was digging the hole deeper and made one last attempt to redeem the conversation. “I’m not trying to proposition you, just thank you. Honest.”

“How disappointing.” Rafael gave her another half grin, one side of his mouth raised and a twinkle in his eye that reminded Olivia so much of her dream version of him it took her breath away. He stood and nodded at her empty cup, “More coffee?” She nodded, still struck mute.

Rafael took his time fixing their coffee, giving himself time to get his impulses under control. What was it about Olivia that made him want to tease her and see her smile or get wide-eyed at his cheeky comments. Maybe it was her reaction the first time he’d opened his mouth and said something stupid to her, the challenge in her eyes but the tiniest hint of a smile that told him she was amused in spite of herself. She had continued to challenge him for a few years now and he had found himself wanting to live up to her incredible standards both personally and professionally. He returned to the couch with the coffee and pretended the previous conversation hadn’t made him wish for entirely unprofessional events to transpire. He did his best to ignore his impulses for the rest of the morning as well as his desire for more than anything beyond friendship with Olivia, that way led to messy madness, he was certain.

Weeks passed and Olivia’s gums healed. As promised by her dental surgeon, she no longer woke with a headache from grinding her teeth in her sleep. Autumn turned into Winter and work was busy and kept her mind off the fanciful imaginings she’d had under painkillers and the aftermath of anesthesia. But every once in a while, when Rafael showed up with a cup of coffee fixed just how she liked it or when they met for a drink after a difficult case, images popped into her mind, images of a laughing Rafael she wished she could see for real.

It was Friday night and it had been a long week filled with testimony and witnesses uncertain of their facts and a case they nearly didn’t win but Rafael had pulled victory from the jaws of the utter mess that the case had become. Olivia found him at their usual stools in their usual bar.

“Good job today, Counsellor,” there was a smile in her voice.

Rafael side-eyed her as she sat beside him and shrugged out of her coat. “Thanks, I guess.”

“We won, why do you look like you’re drowning your sorrows instead of celebrating?”

“Just anticipating the impending appeal.” The bartender stepped up and Rafael nodded at his silent question then looked to Olivia, “Wine or something stronger?”

“I’ll have a double of whatever he’s having,” Olivia said to the bartender, “I need to catch up apparently.” The barman nodded and turned away to bring drinks. Rafael put cash on the bar-top before Olivia could do it, then raised his glass in her direction.

“To the Sisyphean joys of my caseload.” He touched his glass to Olivia’s when she raised it.

“I know it seems endless and thankless, but you do make things better.”

“Then why do I feel like I’ve been run over by a large rolling boulder?”

“You’d need a fedora for that, I think. Or a toga?”

His glare was only half serious, mostly it was rueful amusement and a touch of grateful for her attempt to get him to relax. “Neither are fashion choices I am willing to entertain.”

“Too bad,” Olivia took a long sip of her drink to stop herself from saying more on the topic, hoping the scotch in her glass would erase the image of a curly-haired and laughing Rafael out of her head.

Rafael raised a brow at her comment but let it slide, he was tired and wasn’t sure he could keep up with her sharp wit this evening, though he wasn’t above realizing her wit was a balm to his bruised soul. “I’d invite you to a table for some dinner to go with the drink but it’s busy in here tonight.”

“It’s the night before Valentine’s Day, Rafael, everyone is getting a leg up on the holiday.”

Rafael groaned softly. “Happy almost Valentine’s Day, in that case.” He finished his drink, again, and sat the glass down, pushing it away. He turned on his stool to face Olivia who was nearly done with her double. “You staying or you want to split a cab home?”

“We can split a cab.”

In the cab Olivia was struck with an idea, something that might cheer up her friend. “Let me make you dinner.”

“What?” Rafael had been leaning back on the seat, his eyes shut and his head back, now he sat up and turned slightly to look at Olivia.

“It’s only fair, you made dinner when I was feeling low with my dental surgery. Let me repay the favour.”

Rafael was quiet for a long moment and then nodded. “Sure, that would be,” he paused just a bit as if choosing his words carefully, “great, thanks Olivia.”

They pulled up at her apartment building and Rafael insisted on splitting the fare as they had originally planned, then they made their way up to her place.

“Make yourself at home,” Olivia said as she shut and locked the door after they entered. She hung her coat on the wall hook and dropped her bag on the little hall table. “I hope you aren’t expecting fancy, my plan was for meatloaf tonight. I could change that to burgers instead though?”

“You’re driving this bus, whatever you feel like cooking I’ll eat.”

“So agreeable,” Olivia smiled over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen.

Rafael hung his own coat and stashed his briefcase under the hall table. “I’ll deny it.”

“Of course you will.”

He hung his suit jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves as he joined Olivia in the kitchen. “What can I do to help?”

“Open some wine?”

“I can do that,” Rafael said and took a bottle from the rack under the kitchen island, holding it up for her to see and Olivia nodded. He opened it with a corkscrew he found in a drawer he’d investigated the night he’d made soup for Olivia.

“I’m happy to see you remember where the important things are.”

“I never meant to invade your privacy, I promise I kept my snooping to the kitchen only.”

“I never felt invaded, really. I am happy you’re comfortable in my kitchen, especially if you decide you feel like cooking again. The soup just got better, by the way.”

Rafael just smiled and watched as Olivia stacked things on the counter for the meatloaf and a salad. He took the lettuce and tomato and started washing them, then set up on the kitchen island to make the salad as Olivia chopped onions and green peppers for the meatloaf. She added mushrooms and garlic and a handful of crushed crackers with an egg and mashed everything together, then added shredded cheese and mixed again, patting the mass into a mound in the bottom of the deep pan. She opened a can of soup and poured it over the top and by then the oven had finished preheating so she put it in and set the timer. Rafael helped her clean up the counter and then Olivia got out two of the biggest potatoes that he’d ever seen. She washed them and stabbed them with a fork and wrapped them in foil and sat them on the rack in the oven.

“That’s done,” she said.

“That is the most interesting meatloaf recipe I have ever seen.”

“Cream of mushroom soup is the secret ingredient. Trust me, it won’t suck.”

“Of course I trust you.”

“Good to know.” Olivia grinned and turned to get glasses from the cupboard. “You pour, I’ll find us a movie?” Rafael nodded.

Rafael brought the wine to the couch and poured for each of them and then watched Olivia as she scrolled the menu on the screen looking for a movie.

“North by Northwest is playing.” Olivia looked at Rafael, question in her eyes.

“You spend all day fighting crime on the streets of New York and then come home to watch thrillers?” Rafael grinned. “Sure though, Cary Grant is classic.”

“I only watch the ones in black and white, back before gore was king.”

“Fair enough. I was expecting sci-fi to tell you the truth.”

“Really?” Olivia gave him an incredulous look then pushed the button to start the movie.

“Well, the last time I was here for an evening you insisted on sleeping through Labyrinth and then Clash of the Titans before waking up to drink dinner and roll yourself into bed like a burrito.”

Olivia laughed, realizing now where the dreams she’d had that night originated. “I’m so sorry, you must have been bored.”

“Nope, I read a book and cooked and every once in a while made sure you were breathing. As evenings go it was peaceful, you’re a very quiet sleeper.”

“I’ll add that to my resume,” she said in a dry tone.

Rafael laughed, actual laughter not just a chuckle or a grin and Olivia was swamped with the memories of her dream all over again. Even without the curls his laugh was attractive in real life, nearly as much as in her dream. Olivia was just pleased that he seemed in a better mood than when she’d found him earlier that evening. She tried hard to ignore her desire to look closer to see if his canine teeth were slightly longer than they should be, but failed. She couldn’t see any indication of lycanthropy, but she was hardly a biologist, or would she need to be a cryptozoologist, she wondered.

They drank the wine and watched Cary Grant on the television, then enjoyed dinner and more wine. They did not talk about work. The television rolled through another film while they talked, ignoring the film whatever it was.

“Will you look at that?” Rafael held up his arm so Olivia could read his watch. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Olivia.” He smiled, lighting up his eyes and relaxing his features in a way she’d never seen before. Maybe it was the wine, though they hadn’t had that much, she thought.

Olivia smiled in return, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Rafael. This is the best Valentine’s Eve I’ve spent in years.”

“Is Valentine’s Eve a thing?” Rafael looked skeptical.

“It is now,” Olivia shrugged.

Rafael leaned forward and snagged his glass, holding it up, “To new traditions.”

Olivia touched the rim of her glass to his, nodding, “New traditions,” and they drank the last of the wine. “I hope we don’t have to wait a whole year to do this again though, I haven’t laughed so much in,” Olivia paused to think a moment, “well, too long obviously.” She sat her glass on the coffee table and sat back against the couch.

Rafael put his own glass down and relaxed, his arm along the back of the couch behind Olivia’s head. “Mardi Gras is coming up, so is Easter. And then May Day. Arbor Day is in there somewhere,” he shrugged. “Pick one.”

“President’s Day.”

Rafael looked down to see Olivia grinning up at him, a gleam in her eye. “In a hurry?”

“Maybe.”

Rafael let his arm slide down to Olivia’s shoulders and she turned toward him to put her head on his chest, snuggled in like she had in the cab when she was drugged from the dentist’s office.

“I’m feeling a little déjà vu, how weird is that?”

“Well,” Rafael said, “you were very cuddly in the car on the way home from the dentist’s.”

“Oh god, no,” she groaned, covering her face with one hand.

“Don’t freak out, it was,” Rafael shrugged, “not unwelcome.”

Olivia tried to pull back but Rafael tightened his arm just enough to let her know she didn’t need to move.

“You weren’t inappropriate and I didn’t feel like I was taking advantage, you were just very sleepy and I was there.”

“It’s not sounding better, Rafael.”

“How about if I tell you I am pleased that you are conscious and fully in charge of yourself this time?”

She looked up again, closer this time as she was leaning into him, “That sounds better.”

Rafael looked from her eyes to her lips and back again, wondering if he should or shouldn’t when the choice was taken away as Olivia leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He smiled and kissed her back.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, the dream happened because I watch too many videos of R.Esparza and wondered what Olivia might make of some of those and then while in the shower, where I think up all the crackiest and craziest writing ideas, I wondered under what circumstances Olivia might think that Rafael was a werewolf or an elf or something... and thus the story happened. Sorry it is really on the crack side, no, well, not sorry at all actually. Thanks for reading! Happy Valentine's Day!


End file.
